Information and Alerts

Alert

As of June 13, 2018, BBB had reason to believe an entity calling itself Yellow Shippers was part of an online scam also reported in other cities across the country. On June 20, BBB was alerted to an online entity with a name and website very similar to that of Yellow Shippers - Bismarck Shippers. We believe this entity is connected to Yellow Shippers and also part of this broader scheme. On June 29, we were alerted to yet another entity affiliated with this fraudulent scheme - Dakota Auto Shipping. BBB continues to receive calls from consumers asking about entities with similar names, websites and offers.  BBB urges consumers and business owners to be on the lookout for situations similar to the ones outlined below.

Consumers contacting BBB St. Louis, Kansas City and Omaha are reporting they have found cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, boats, jet skis, semi-trucks and farm equipment at too-good-to-be-true price ranging from $3,200 to $9,000, primarily on local craigslist pages, Autotrader and local (free) print publications. Consumers who have completed transactions say they do not receive the vehicles nor a refund of their money.  As of October 17, 2018, BBB does not have a valid mailing address for this entity. 

The sellers tell the buyers they are using a shipper to handle escrow and transportation of the vehicle to the potential buyer. BBB believes the sellers and shippers are bogus.

The buyer contacts the seller, who shares a story via email about why they are selling the item. The "seller" tells the buyer that the vehicle and paperwork are being stored at the shipper’s location (Fargo,  St. Louis, Kansas City, or Omaha) where they recently moved to be with family. An alternate story involves the seller being deployed. Buyers are instructed to wire money to the shipper’s bank. They are told they will have five days to evaluate the vehicle and if they aren’t satisfied, the vehicle can be returned to the shipper, with all shipping fees paid by the seller.

Potential buyers are given the name of a financial representative and are asked to complete a bank-to-bank wire transfer. Law enforcement authorities believe the financial representatives are real people who may or may not know they are being used by the scammers to move the money.

Once the wire transfer is complete, it is very difficult to recoup money. BBB urges consumers who believe they may be victims of the scam to contact their bank immediately to report the issue and seek any assistance that
the bank can provide.

Additionally, BBB encourages consumers who have lost money in this scam to file a complaint with BBB and a report with local law enforcement. Consumers who have not lost money may file a report through BBB Scam Tracker.

To read BBB of St. Louis's full alert, visit https://www.bbb.org/en/us/article/news-releases/17905-vehicle-shippers-springing-up-on-internet-may-be-scams-bbb-warns